3.28.2009
Nation
by Terry Pratchett, hardcover, 367 pgs
Overall Grade: B+
Pratchett's latest, and it ain't Discworld! Time for the 'OMG's and the shock-faced emoticons. Yes, it's the first time in a very, very long while that he's written something that wasn't somehow distilled from the essence of his famous fantasy world.
That said - it ain't bad. It is set on a quasi-Earth, or alternate Earth or whatever you want to call it. This leaves Pratchett free to use terms like 'the Pelagic Ocean' (laugh if you see the redundancy there) or invent Discworld-esque creatures like the tree-climbing octopus. In terms of plot, the book deals with two young people (I'm hesitant to use the word children because they act really mature) when a ginormous freak wave depeoples a tropical island home to one and strands the other there as well. The boy and girl are very endearing characters, especially as they are joined by an increasingly eclectic cast. I'm not sure what else I can say about it without giving too much away. There's actually a fair bit of philosophical thinkings but don't worry, they are well disguised and amusing.
Labels: genre: fantasy, genre: fiction, genre: YA, media: book
